the pink project

My work explores the relationship between gender norms and female stereotypes. I have always been fascinated with the concept that gender is a social construct that women and men have been conditioned to believe. The second you come out of the womb a blue or pink hat is placed on your head assigning you to a gender category. Contrary to popular belief, womanhood and femininity are not inextricably intertwined. You don’t have to be feminine to be considered a woman, and you do not have to fit societal standards to be considered beautiful. My goal in this project is to highlight the intense pressure placed onto women to feel, act, look, and move a certain way. No one wants their genitals to dictate how they are treated, or their appearance to dominate how they are perceived. The girls in my project are each photographed in a white studio setting, which forces the viewer to focus on the subject and also provides a simple and clean contrast for the embroidery sewn onto the image. Each photograph is staged and symbolic of ways that women are forced into gendered ideals or touch on issues that women commonly encounter. The embroidery on each photograph is a decorative statement highlighting the domesticated trade of sewing as a form of “women’s work” providing a metaphorical contrast to its symbolism.